Revitalizing history with new technology

The City completed the first public power plant, named the Downtown Power
Plant, in 1914. Throughout its history, GRU continually has made additions
and upgrades to this plant to better serve our customers.

The first and second steam turbines
were added in 1921 and 1930. A third steam turbine followed in 1933 and
another generator was added in 1947. In 1965, eight units were operating
along with three gas turbines, and the Downtown Power Plant was renamed
the John R. Kelly Generating Station in honor of Gainesville's first Director of Utilities.

In 2001, GRU renovated and upgraded Kelly
Plant to include the 110-MW natural
gas-fired Combined Cycle Unit 1 (CC1), which provides five times the energy
at one-half the emissions of older gas-fired units. Today, the plant has a total generation capacity of 177 MW*.

Request a Tour

GRU offers guided tours of its utility plants, including the John R. Kelly Generating Station. For more information, visit the Facility Tours and Speakers page.